In October 2013, TripAdvisor launched an advertising bidding tool called TripConnect, a new metasearch channel (one that aggregates all of the available online prices in a single list) that enabled hotels to send potential bookings originating from the site to their own website instead of to an OTA. TripConnect’s breakthrough bidding process will allow independent hotels ­ no matter their size, star rating, or type ­ to significantly increase the number of direct bookings secured, greatly minimizing cost of acquisition drastically and maximizing revenues.

Sounds fantastic right? But there are other benefits to using TripConnect as an online distribution channel.

Improves Online Visibility

TripAdvisor is a very important player in the online travel agency world. Don’t believe me?

TripAdvisor is currently ranked number one on eBizMBA¹s list of the most popular travel websites.[1]

³60% of American travelers use TripAdvisor when choosing a hotel.²[2]

TripAdvisor has more than 260 million unique monthly visitors.[3]

Because TripAdvisor enables consumers to complete the entire booking process – from research, to price comparison, to reading reviews through booking – on a single website, its popularity as a booking channel will only continue to grow over time, making it an important channel for hoteliers looking to increase their bookings ­ direct or otherwise.

Cost-Effective

Because hotels bid for a position in the search results based on a cost-per-click fee (CPC), TripConnect can give these property’s control over their costs, as they pay as little or as much as they want depending on their desired ranking position in the metasearch results. Using TripConnect, a hotel is only charged if a user clicks on the property¹s listing in the search results, ensuring that each marketing dollar is spent on more valuable, qualified leads.

Helps to Improve Business Operation

Hotels with a business listing (which is required before a hotel can sign up with TripConnect) are able to access a great deal of additional analytical information, such as reports about how potential customers are interacting with their TripAdvisor page. This is hugely beneficial in determining if a hotel’s current OTA marketing strategy is effective or whether it needs to be revisited.

Now all that is left is to sign up. However, there are a few requirements for a hotel to be able to sign up for TripConnect.

In order to be qualified to use TripConnect, properties must be using an advanced Internet booking engine that has been certified by TripAdvisor, such as GuestLeader REVPAR GURU’s industry-leading booking engine.

So, if you are a hotel looking for a cost-effective, efficient way to increase bookings, it is absolutely worth investing in TripConnect. So what are you waiting for? Sign up now at https://www.tripadvisor.com/TripConnect.